Options placements – School of Nursing and Midwifery
Guidance and information for nursing and midwifery students
An options placement is an exciting opportunity for you as a University of Plymouth student to plan and organise a short period of learning in an area of special interest, cultural diversity or where employment has been offered.
These opportunities may be requested locally, nationally or internationally. They are available to nursing and midwifery students during the Summer Practice Learning Period in years 2, 3 and 4 of full-time nursing programmes (including year 1 MSc) and equivalent in part-time programmes. Please refer to your programme overview for specific dates and the guidance documents below for further information.
This opportunity will enable you to broaden and enhance your knowledge and experience of healthcare delivery, organisations and cultures within the context of pre-registration learning and your future career. It is important to remember that you will also be an ambassador of the University and reflect the high standard of professional care you have been prepared for.
Where can I go?
Suggestions can be found by referring to:
- Programme DLE
- Personal Tutor and Programme Leads
- Student Representatives and other students
- Erasmus programme
- European Network of Nursing in Higher Education (ENNE)
Options available:
- Placement experience in the same healthcare provider, but an area of special interest
- Placement experience in a healthcare provider in another area in the Southwest footprint (i.e. ‘local’)
- Placement experience in a healthcare provider elsewhere in the UK (i.e. ‘national’)
- Placement experience in a healthcare setting external to the UK (i.e. ‘international’)
- Opportunity to gain experience pre-employment in a local or other healthcare provider where a job offer has been made or where the programme requires experiential learning in the employer base.
Some placement options you may wish to consider
GP practices
General practice is amongst one of the largest branches/specialities within healthcare, with this service being the first point of care for the majority of the population. Being allocated to a general practice placement will give the student an opportunity to be involved and participate in the fundamentals of patient centred care, alongside fostering an understanding of patient perceptions of living with long term conditions, illness and minor ailments.
Nursing homes
Placement opportunities within the private and independent sector can involve caring for patients/residents in a nursing home environment. This will mean that effectively you will be helping to care for people in their own ‘home’. This will require skill and diplomacy in care planning, the use of a variety of assessment tools, excellent interpersonal skills and the employment of the six c’s on a daily basis. Caring for people who are resident in a nursing home often requires patience and empathy; these are as vital a nursing intervention as any clinical procedure. Treating people as individuals, ensuring that basic needs are met in a timely manner, but also the emotional and spiritual needs, contributing to person centred care in a truly holistic way.
Hospices
We have placements with a number of hospices in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall – see the Hospice UK website for details about this sector.
Private hospitals/treatment centres
We have a number of placements within this sector, across the region.
Prisons
We are in the process of establishing placements with Devon prisons.
How to apply
- Identify the proposed placement (if applying to a local trust go to step 3).
- If the placement provider falls outside the Southwest, you must contact the Options Placement host to confirm capacity and identify a contact person.
Do not contact Southwest placement providers directly. - Make your Personal Tutor aware of your wish to apply for an Options Placement, including your rationale for this.
- If you are an apprentice, you must receive written confirmation from your employer (e.g. via email) that you can go on an Options Placement.
- Submit an application through our options placement application form before the deadline. Refer to the DLE for the specific submission deadline; late applications will not be considered.